Because Opening Day is upon us and what better way to kick off the season than watching the New York Mets help start the 2007 season.

The beauty of Opening Day is every fan believes their team has a chance to go all the way. (Correction. That should read most fans because do you really think Royals and Devil Rays fans truly believe their team can earn a playoff spot?)

But while Opening Day brings optimism, as a Mets fan you fear the worst. An old (Tom Glavine and El Duque) and inexperienced (John Maine, Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey) pitching staff plus a weak bullpen are just some of the reasons I am worried.

While it was great to see the Mets finally break the Atlanta Braves' streak of 14 straight NL East championships last year, I know this year will be much harder to repeat.

If I was a betting man, my prediction would be for the Mets to finish in second place but still make the playoffs by winning the Wild Card. (I swear I'm a huge Mets fan, I'm just not too confident this year.)

So who wins first?

Actually, that's a great question.

Associated PressRyan Howard is the key to what could be an explosive Phillies offense.

The Phillies have a tremendous lineup and with Ryan Howard sitting there in the middle, you know the Phils can score 10 runs every game. Even with the injury to Freddie Garcia, I still think they have a quality starting rotation. A suspect bullpen and playing home games in a tiny ballpark may ultimately hurt their chances.

The Braves bullpen last year was absolutely horrid, but they addressed it a little with the additions of Mike Gonzalez and Bob Wickman. While Andruw Jones should have another monster year since he's set to be a free agent, the Braves may not have enough offense to compete.

What nice things can I say about the Nationals besides Ryan Zimmerman, who I think could eventually become the best third baseman in the game. Well, anyone who's nickname is the "Meat Hook" a.k.a. Dmitri Young is always someone to root for. After that, there's not much else.

So which team am I missing? That's right, it's my darkhorse candidate to win first place -- the Florida Marlins!

Associated PressJorge Julio could be the closer for this year's NL East champions.

Do I really think the Marlins will win the NL East? No. But can they? Sure. Any team that is using Jorge Julio as their closer has to have a weak bullpen, but I love their starting pitching. Dontrelle Willis is already a star while Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez, Scott Olsen and Josh Johnson (when he gets back in two months) seem destined to be future studs. This team could be a year away, but then again who expected them to win the 2003 World Series?

So here's my bold prediction: The NL East will be won by the Mets. Or the Phillies. Maybe the Braves. Perhaps even the Marlins. But not the Nationals.